Does Honda Fit "fit" our snow and ice climate? (buyers, live)

[QuietBlue]

Originally Posted by icicles

Honda fit will easily handle the snow in MN. I drove an Aveo there for 5 years, 1 year on bald tires, and easily survived an entire winter. Learn how to keep momentum and not stop, steer out of problems (don't hit brake), and be a defensive driver, even if you have the green, do the two way look before going.

Yeah, winter driving comes down to skill and technique much, much more than hardware. You can get by with almost any vehicle if you simply adjust what you're doing. Not that things like snow tires and 4WD don't come in handy, because they can, but they're not necessary unless you're doing a lot of driving on really poor roads.

Of course, driving on bald tires is a bad idea ahy time of year, but it sounds like that was only a temporary thing.

[rzzz]

The weird thing is that the side streets in the metro seem to me like the worst road conditions in MN. It's like a solid layer of ice or packed in snow. Snow tires are actually most useful for just getting from your driveway in St. Paul to I-94.

I lived up north for years and there was a bit of that, but the roads were super wide and nobody else was on your particular road so sliding around a bit wasn't such a big deal.

[StilltheSame]

I agree with the first response. I think clearance is huge - especially on side roads and in parking lots. The Fit is a cute car - but not for a MN winter.

[Mr. In-Between]

Originally Posted by QuietBlue

Yeah, winter driving comes down to skill and technique much, much more than hardware. You can get by with almost any vehicle if you simply adjust what you're doing. Not that things like snow tires and 4WD don't come in handy, because they can, but they're not necessary unless you're doing a lot of driving on really poor roads.

That's all true, but then again, there's always the unexpected. No matter how good of a driver you are, you never know how good the guy in front of you - or the guy who's entering the intersection from the right - is, or what stupid thing he's getting ready to do. And, even the best of us sometimes make mistakes too, and need to make split-second adjustments. When that happens, I'd feel a lot better knowing I was driving a Subaru and not a toy.

[Thegonagle]

It's doable in a Fit with stock-sized all-seasons, a little less so with extra wide all-seasons with less than half their tread left (like I had), and just fine and dandy with snow tires (like I have now).

It is a low car though. The "Sport" has the same suspension but with 16-inch rims instead of 15's, it will have a slightly rougher ride. The bigger problem with the Sport is the side-skirts (aka "ground effects" if you're old enough) and lower-slung front bumper that the base model doesn't have. I got somewhat high-centered in an unplowed parking space just before Christmas, and had to use my shovel.

I bought snow tires a couple days later. I haven't had even a hint of trouble since.

If you get a Fit, I highly recommend snow tires.

[icicles]

Originally Posted by Albert_The_Crocodile

That's all true, but then again, there's always the unexpected. No matter how good of a driver you are, you never know how good the guy in front of you - or the guy who's entering the intersection from the right - is, or what stupid thing he's getting ready to do. And, even the best of us sometimes make mistakes too, and need to make split-second adjustments. When that happens, I'd feel a lot better knowing I was driving a Subaru and not a toy.

I am unsure how a subaru would be a better car than a fit in the winter?

The only thing a subaru can do better than a fit is accelerate, but then again, that could also be its worst nightmare, and you have less feedback than a FWD (slippery and you will know it) AWD can mask this sometimes. Typically AWD/ 4WD vehciles weigh more and are harder to stop. Heavier vehicles can can sometimes be better in crashes when two cars are involved.

But honestly, in MN you don't need AWD/4WD. I had a 2WD rodeo that is RWD and did fine as a 16 yr old driver. it was a manual as well. I would say a FIT is a better car than a rodeo due to FWD and being less skilled to drive.

[Mr. In-Between]

For me, it came down to the handling. I put 140,000 miles on my Forester, half of them winter miles (and many of those miles in icy blizzards on the North Shore), and I never once had so much as a single instant where I felt that the car wasn't completely under control. No matter what the weather, it drove as though the snow wasn't even there. Best winter car I ever had.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by icicles

I am unsure how a subaru would be a better car than a fit in the winter?

The only thing a subaru can do better than a fit is accelerate, but then again, that could also be its worst nightmare, and you have less feedback than a FWD (slippery and you will know it) AWD can mask this sometimes. Typically AWD/ 4WD vehciles weigh more and are harder to stop. Heavier vehicles can can sometimes be better in crashes when two cars are involved.

But honestly, in MN you don't need AWD/4WD. I had a 2WD rodeo that is RWD and did fine as a 16 yr old driver. it was a manual as well. I would say a FIT is a better car than a rodeo due to FWD and being less skilled to drive.

That is not true. Subaru has boxer engines which mean lower center of gravity, and that equals better handling and cornering in severe weather conditions. With a good set of tires, Subaru AWD performs substantially better on poor quality snow and ice covered roads than a FWD car.
Source: driven many FWD cars and now own AWD Subaru.

However, if you ONLY drive on highways and city streets than a compact FWD is fine. I drive many miles on rural roads, however.

[rzzz]

AWD only improves acceleration in snow and ice, it does not improve handling or braking. Handling and stopping are all due to tire traction. Here's one article that explains this very well. There are dozens of similar articles and youtube drive test videos demonstrating this.

http://www.caranddriver.com/features...om-line-page-4

So What's the Bottom Line?

Four-wheel drive helps get cars going. When it comes time to brake or change direction on low-traction surfaces, the extra mass of the driveline becomes more of a detriment. Folks who live in hilly places that get snow may need the climbing capability of four-wheel drive. If it snows a lot in those hilly places, they should probably invest in winter tires, too. Even flat-landers who happen to have steep driveways may wish to consider a four-wheel-driver.

Almost everyone else will most likely be better served by using winter tires. Acceleration takes longer, but in an emergency, the handling behavior and improved lateral grip of two-wheel drive and winter tires -- in the slippery stuff -- are the safer bets.

[Mr. In-Between]

We're not talking about 4WD; we're talking about AWD. They're two completely different things. With the Subaru's AWD system, a computer monitors each wheel at all times, and if one starts to lose traction, an adjustment is made, and more power is distributed to the other wheels to keep the car going straight until the other one starts to grab again. So yeah, there is a definite difference in handling, because the power of the engine is always going to the wheels that are actually propelling the car.